Not so long ago, I acquired phalaenopsis, which surprised me with its unwillingness to live in a transparent pot. The fact is that the roots of this plant are more sensitive to overflow than the roots of phalaenopsis that I acquired earlier. The plant began to lose roots due to rot.
There was only one way out - to put it in the basket. This method of planting is a cross between planting in a plastic pot and on a block. In room conditions, my phalaenopsis was too wet in the pot, the substrate dried slowly and the roots were wet for a long time, the consequence was rot. But the block is not suitable either, since even with a humidifier, it will be too dry for phalaenopsis. The most optimal is the basket. In it, the substrate does not remain moist as long as in the pot, and there is more air access, but also not as dry as on the block. The disadvantage of the basket is only that the roots of orchids grow tightly to the wooden slats and, during further transplantation, the old basket is placed in a large one, and the difference is filled with a substrate.
So, let's go directly to what you need to have at hand to carry out this operation - a lesson in pictures:
1. It is directly the plant itself.
2. Basket, uncut sphagnum moss, boiled and dried bark of different fractions. The scissors just hit the frame.
3. The basket can be made of both wooden slats and plastic mesh. The only difference is in moisture capacity, since plastic does not absorb water, but yes, wood. In my case, I chose a wooden basket.
An uncut moss sphagnum should lay out the bottom and walls of the basket, it will prevent the substrate from drying out very quickly, as well as its eruption from the cracks of the basket.
4. Then you should take the largest pieces of bark and lay out the bottom and walls of the basket.
5. Place the plant in a basket.
6. And only then fill the bark with a smaller fraction, as for the usual planting of phalaenopsis.
7. The last step is to cover the substrate with sphagnum from above. It will also reduce the drying rate of the substrate.
I recommend growing epiphytic orchids in baskets, letting peduncles down through the substrate, plants sensitive to overflows, and people who often pour their plants.
Baskets are more decorative than plastic pots, but require more frequent watering. I hang them from the line, which looks more decorative than rope and saves space on the windowsill.
Watering orchids in a basket - by immersion, and then until they drain completely. A basket of this phalaenopsis hangs on the south window and dries very quickly, you have to water it every 2 days. Therefore, in my opinion, ordinary phalaenopsis can be planted in baskets, but it is troublesome with watering.
If you have several orchids, then I do not advise you to plant them all together in one large basket - it will be better if you plant each in your own small basket.
Natalie comment: If you have cold, not enough light, I also do not advise planting orchids in the basket in this way. Otherwise, the roots will dry for too long and simply rot. Ideally, the root system in orchids should dry out no longer than a day, but preferably within a few hours. But in the same way, you can plant orchids without moss - cover the walls of the basket with a mosquito net from the inside, place the orchid and cover it with pine bark or pieces of wine cork, fraction 1-1.5 cm.
Author of the article Anyanya